The problem: Badminton machines exist on the market, but are not accessible to every one: too expensive (2.500€ minimum retail price), not portable (it's indoor or nothing...), with proprietary technologies (costly to maintain, restricted roadmap evolution). People who like fun and sports would enjoy such a machine, small clubs would use it for training, but they just can't - Now's the time to do something

The goal and vision: Inspire and enable everyone anywhere to enjoy badminton!

BADDY aims to best serve badminton's core values, to boost the fun of that great sport we all love. BADDY is the first badminton robot for indoor or outdoor use. It is made of latest open technology - We want to provide the most affordable and open platform, driven by the community. We trust this beautiful idea can become a reality.

Important note:

BADDY is a perfect introduction for enjoying and boosting fun with a badminton robot, but at this point it is very much a product for makers/developers. It's a blast to play with, but you should be ready to tinker with it. The BADDY DIY kit involves soldering, gluing, and wiring of electronics.

Except the current known limitations on the prototype (further detailed), we don't encounter problem with BADDY so far. We have gone through different stages improving design and durability, but we don't have a long experience yet on how the product will behave in the long run - shooting shuttlecocks involves strong mechanical sollicitations on the product parts. The aim of this first Kickstarter campaign is also to get first feedback on users experience, that will nurture BADDY's project future.

BADDY project in a nutshell:

Cool features: extremely portable, enjoy badminton outdoor, or indoor, control with an app

BADDY aims open source: BADDY will serve, and evolve with the community

For Everyone: BADDY is made for all the players, anywhere. From players willing to discover that great sport in a really fun and different way, to passionate competitors! BADDY wants to gather a community of amateurs, competitors, players, coaches, clubs, and future players of the Badminton planet.

Learn Badminton with BADDY:

Play with BADDY when I am a competitor:

Affordable and sustainable: Accessible to players and clubs on a budget. Designed with a "makers" mindset. Don't waste, and invest in costly proprietary technologies. Instead: learn, maintain your robot, by sharing and growing with the community. Ensure your product evolves at the pace of the needs of the community

A new model, more sustainable

BADDY Everywhere: "BADDY everywhere" aims to support emerging countries and very low budgets associations in promoting badminton locally. Through this Kickstarter campaign, BADDY will sponsor the badminton association of Madagascar: BAOBAD. This association runs many solidarity projects, around badminton, with passion and faith.

Baobad association in Madagascar

Having a BADDY will enable to attract new players, boost promotion of badminton locally, and support their indoor and outdoor events. If this Kickstarter campaign is successful, we will give to the BAOBAD association a BADDY DIY kit. Contribute to the project with the dedicated pledge "Sponsor a club" and be a pioneer in this great initiative. You will have the opportunity to be notified of the project progress (get pictures, notifications of when the BADDY will be delivered etc.).

BADDY Launcher aims open source. Plans and source code will be shareable and made accessible to the community, so that everyone can build a BADDY Launcher by its own. BADDY is an open project, a product driven by the community, for the community.

This is how to make your BADDY:

BADDY' HQ is in the greatest Hacker space of Europe called Electrolab. A well known place of 1.500m2 where everything is possible. You will meet here the best engineers, experts, start-ups, skilled entrepreneurs who know what it is to develop new ideas from scratch. www.electrolab.fr

BADDY involves 3 different components: BADDY Launcher, BADDY feeder, GO BADDY app. Each part is now functional, but yet has limitations. This Kickstarter campaign will enable to develop and produce the critical components that could not be developed so far without a significant investment; the mandatory components where the DIY approach is not possible.

BADDY Launcher CAD design

Inside BADDY - How it works

Set up your BADDY in less than a minute - How it works:

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Connect to BADDY with GO BADDY app, and define a simple playing sequence (Drop Left/Right)

Wheels durability: Not robust enough (lasts several hours and then tires goes off the rim). We have tried to push the boundaries of DIY using 3D printing, mixing PLA for the rim and Cheetah for the rubber - unsuccessful - when it comes to shooting several projectiles at 5.000 rpm, you need something specific.

DIY battery made with battery folder + soldering with BMS needs industrialisation and protection. Makers have the possibility to build their own battery pack (we decline all responsibility in that case - batteries are dangerous and you need to know what you are doing when manipulating it)

Shuttlecocks get a black "tattoo" on the nose (coloured by the friction with the wheel's black rubber)

Customised wheels will have to be designed and produced (injection acrylic for the rim+ thermoplastic rubber). The shore of the rubber will have to be especially studied to ensure: maximum energy transfer, durability and not marking the shuttle nose with rubber colour

Dedicated Li-ion battery pack, easy to plug, secured and certified

Full DFM study to optimise mounting process: target, produce and mount 4 BADDY per days

Dedicated PCB board with circuitry to lodge electronic components, manage the 5V power - ease of production, and... hackable. Think about a board combining Arduino + bluetooth lodged in a same board, that you can hack the way you want.

First BADDY Proof of concept: A birdie can be shot and driven left or right with two wheels, each of which rotating at different speeds.

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BADDY prototypes history:

BADDY Timeline - until now:

BADDY project timeline

DFM: Design For Manufacturability

We've got already many feedbacks and features proposal and ideas from players and fans. Not sure yet if we will be able to include some in the shipments scheduled for this campaign. BADDY roadmap features and releases feature scope and specifications will be shaped at the pace of the community:

Hit-me functionality: BADDY detects when hit by a shuttle, enabling new gaming and fun possibilities!
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And many others coming soon, imagination is the limit! Let's GO BADDY!

Risks and challenges

BADDY is fuelled by lot of passion and positive energy; but let's face it, making things, is hard. Keeping our head cool, and stay with a conservative approach on what can be actually delivered is in our mind. Initially scheduling delivery of DIY kits for end of year, we took a 2 months wiggle time, because we want to be ready to expect the unexpected.

BADDY's HQ is established within the greatest Hacker space in Europe, a great network of advisors, experts, people who know what it is to make things. We choose to take time to run a pre-DFM study to understand what would be the technical challenges of the project: Assembling timeframe being one challenge, durability being the second one (control over MTBF*). As of today, we have a limited experience on how BADDY will behave in the long run. BADDY has strong mechanical constraints, and durability is a challenge. BADDY is yet a product for makers and developers, and bakers have to expect to tinker with it, proceed with small regular maintenance tasks (tuning, replacements of some parts) that will maintain your BADDY up and running during several years. This will be possible with the support of the community. A successful Kickstarter campaign is the sign that the community is welcoming the project, and ready to write down a common beautiful story.